During winter it is easy to neglect our backyards, but now the weather is warming up and long summer BBQs are on the radar, it’s time to pay some attention to our outdoor entertaining areas.

Here I’ll share three simple ways to spruce up this part of your home, so you can get excited rather than embarrassed about entertaining friends and family in the sunshine.

Freshen Your Walls with a Lick of Paint

Weatherboard and timber exterior surfaces are vulnerable to the elements, especially in colder weather. You’ll first need to prepare these surfaces correctly before updating them with a coat of paint. Peeling paint should be scraped and lightly sanded to give the right base for re-painting.

The key exterior trend this season is painting a dark feature wall, contrasted with crisp white window frames and trims. This creates a dramatic backdrop for your outdoor living space.

My favourite colour combination is Taubmans Endure in Knight Lancelot on the wall and Taubmans Endure in Ornamental Pearl on the trims. For a bolder look, I love dark charcoal for a feature wall, such as Taubmans Canyon Black.

Revamp your Outdoor Furniture and Accessories

Re-painting your outdoor furniture is a great way to introduce colour into your outdoor entertaining area. For a crisp seaside feel, I love painting outdoor chairs in Taubmans Elegant Evening and table in Taubmans January Dawn.

Add chrome lanterns with candles and striped cushions on the chairs to complete the look. Another inexpensive way to add a pop of colour to your outdoor entertaining area is painting your pot plants in bright colours. Try Taubmans Sunset Skyline or Taubmans Wild Plum to make a bold, edgy statement in your yard. Once painted you can either leave the strong colour or age it by sanding it lightly.

Group the pots in one corner of your outdoor area. If you are feeling really bold, paint your back door in . If you are feeling really bold, paint your back door in one of these colours and use it as an additional feature.

Pay Attention to the Magic Three

When given some love, there are three elements of your outdoor space that can make a big impact on the overall style and freshness of the area: your flooring, your back door and your window frames/trims.

Different materials (wood, concrete, metal, tiles, floorboards) will need different specialty products, and for any special painting needs White Knight, from the makers of Taubmans, has an excellent range of specialty products such as Paving and Tiling Paint.

For more information about Taubmans Colour Look Books or Taubmans Endure visit: www.taubmans.com.au.